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Hathaway Brown: Technology

Dear Middle School Students and Families,

If you have ever lost important papers or projects due to a computer failure, you know how important it is to back up your data. Your iPad is no different!

Backing up your iPad is just as important as backing up files on your desktop or laptop. Before you begin, you have to decide which of the two backup options will work best for you – iCloud or iTunes.

OPTION 1: iCloud

Apple's iCloud service provides a number of ways to back up the data on your iPad, including music and apps. You can automatically back up data, settings, photos, and documents to iCloud simply by turning its Backup feature on.

Getting Started with iCloud

To use iCloud, you need to be running iOS 5 or higher and have a wireless network at your home.

Then go to Settings -> iCloud -> Storage & Backup.

Slide iCloud Backup to On. Users get 5 GB of free storage on iCloud.

You will need to login using your personal iTunes account. If multiple users in your household are backing up to the same iTunes/iCloud account, you may want to consider creating a new Apple ID used only for your iCloud backup. Each device can backup to its own iCloud account even if you are sharing the same Apple ID for apps and music purchases.

There are a variety of options to configure - turn on the features you wish iCloud to back up.

iCloud automatically backs up the most important data on your iOS 5 device. After you have enabled Backup on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch in Settings > iCloud > Backup & Storage, it will run on a daily basis as long as your device is:

Connected to the Internet over Wi-Fi

Connected to a power source

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You can also back up manually whenever your device is connected to the Internet over Wi-Fi by choosing Back Up Now from Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup.

OPTION 2: iTunes

Every time you sync your iPad to your computer that has iTunes installed, an iPad backup is automatically saved on your computer. So, if you ever need to restore your iPad from a backup, you will be able to choose this backup to restore your device.

Getting Started with iTunes

iTunes can create backups of your iOS device when you:

Sync with iTunes to your desktop or laptop (disabled if you have iCloud backup turned on)

Right-click (or Control-click) the iOS device in iTunes under Devices and choose Back Up

Use these steps to manually back up your iOS device using iTunes:

Connect your iOS device to a computer with the latest version of iTunes installed

OPTION 3: BOTH iTunes & iCloud

You can backup to iCloud and also connect your device to a laptop or desktop and backup to iTunes. Be aware that iTunes will not back up automatically if you are using iCloud – if you want to use both iCloud and iTunes, you have to manually set iTunes to back up the device.